Downtown San Diego is a disgrace (Los Angeles, San Francisco: neighborhoods, theatre, restaurants)

[moved]

Originally Posted by the topper

The convention center is a money loser, money pit! San Diego Union Tribune reported this. Seaport will be demo soon.

Have you ever been to a convention at the SDCC? If not, go see for yourself what a money loser it is, because it definitely isn't. I work there on a continuous basis, so I see all the conventions that are come in, and some of them come back every year.

As for Seaport Village, it may be torn down, but until that happens, there lots of people that go there.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by moved

Have you ever been to a convention at the SDCC? If not, go see for yourself what a money loser it is, because it definitely isn't. I work there on a continuous basis, so I see all the conventions that are come in, and some of them come back every year.

The SDCC definitely is a money loser.

Convention centers lose bundles of money

"Some lose humongous amounts of money," says Sanders, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. McCormick Place in Chicago, one of the best-known and largest centers, "lost $38.1 million in fiscal 2014. The center in Washington, D.C., routinely loses $20 million a year or more. San Diego runs an operating loss -- something on the order of a million dollars a year." The San Diego center, infamous for fiddling with the books, gets $3.5 million of city funds each year and counts it as income.

So not only does the SDCC show an actual seven-figure loss on its books, it hides a much greater loss by accounting for taxpayer subsidies as "income," a blatant lie.

[moved]

If the SDCC is a money loser, why are there back to back conventions? That building is in demand, and it's busy all the time.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by moved

If the SDCC is a money loser, why are there back to back conventions? That building is in demand, and it's busy all the time.

They don't pay enough to offset the costs to maintain the convention center, and a lot of those conventions are small to mid sized conventions. They need more major conventions to, let alone, cover the costs.

[snpdragr]

Originally Posted by USDefault

The SDCC definitely is a money loser.



So not only does the SDCC show an actual seven-figure loss on its books, it hides a much greater loss by accounting for taxpayer subsidies as "income," a blatant lie.

Given that the convention center is a non-profit, is measuring profit really the right metric for success? Do we want the convention charging as much money as possible, or would we rather have it run at breakeven due to the other benefits to the city?

Looking at the P&L for past years, the operating budget is about 30M with roughly equivalent income. So a few million either way is just noise.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

I don't understand why San Diego is so convinced that simply expanding its convention center will yield so many customers.

There are strong competitors with lots to offer to lure away things like Comicon. Like LA (impressive Convention center I go to periodically), and of course, Anaheim, which just hosted Wondercon. The size of the venue alone won't seal the deal.

Can Anaheim lure Comic-Con? Here are four reasons it could – Orange County Register

As for Soccercity... I like European soccer, but really, if this is built in San Diego, I don't think it will work with your demographics...well you do have Tijuana visitors who can help fill the stadium. Hopefully many are Tijuana pharmacists whose wives can buy some clothes in Fashion Valley while papa bear watches a game.

San Diego holds onto top 5 ranking for conventions - The San Diego Union-Tribune

“We do see a correlation between the size of a destination’s convention center and the amount of meeting space in the destination,” said Kevin Kevin Fliess, vice president of product marketing for Cvent. “We also tend to see a correlation between destinations that invest in modernizing and expanding their convention space.”

The city of Nashville, for example, has been climbing the list in recent years, ever since it opened its Music City convention complex in 2013, Fliess said. It’s now at No. 7, up from No. 9 a year earlier.

Hoteliers and tourism leaders have repeatedly said San Diego is losing out on lucrative business without having an enlarged center.

People like going to convention centers in vibrant, walkable downtown's and not lame, post war suburban sprawl like Anaheim.

[moved]

There are large conventions, almost the size of CC, that want to come here, but the SDCC is too small for them.

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by sav858

San Diego holds onto top 5 ranking for conventions - The San Diego Union-Tribune





People like going to convention centers in vibrant, walkable downtown's and not lame, post war suburban sprawl like Anaheim.

So True
Even though its run down. I'd still take the San Diego Convention center over Anaheim convention center any day.
Lets also add the OC and LA Historically bad traffic and its a no brainier

Originally Posted by moved

There are large conventions, almost the size of CC, that want to come here, but the SDCC is too small for them.

Ive herd this Also.
I don't like how Mayor is going about this(Hostilities have the mayor in their back pockets)
But i do agree something needs to be done at this point. I just want some reassurance that the Hoteliers can not touch that tax money in any way shape or form and that, SDSU Gets Taken Care of.
All this other B.S about "downtown San Diego being a disgrace" is just "forum bashing crap". Sure DT has some problems, Like almost all big cities but people still always come here for the Women, Weed and Weather
This is my city and i love it here

San Diego breaks records in tourist spending and overnight stays. - The San Diego Union-Tribune

[moved]

Originally Posted by the topper

They don't pay enough to offset the costs to maintain the convention center, and a lot of those conventions are small to mid sized conventions. They need more major conventions to, let alone, cover the costs.

What do you call a small to mid sized convention? Have you ever been inside the building? They don't discriminate if a small company wants to have a convention there, and quite a few of the conventions that come in are major conventions.. But you would't know that.

But actually I'm wrong, you think you know everything that there is to know about San Diego.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by sav858

San Diego holds onto top 5 ranking for conventions - The San Diego Union-Tribune





People like going to convention centers in vibrant, walkable downtown's and not lame, post war suburban sprawl like Anaheim.

Downtown San Diego vibrant and walkable? Gimme a break.